


Midnight Snacks

by Clocked83



Category: One Piece
Genre: "unrequited" love, (Sanji just doesn't let himself hope), Aka drew some art for this and added it on a 2nd chapter, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Illustrated, Kinda- the hurt is implied; it's mostly just comfort fluff, Luffy Being Luffy, M/M, Sanji stress baking, Soft Lusan, Takes place between Fishman island and Thriller Bark, can be read as platonic or romantic, no spoilers mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28724823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clocked83/pseuds/Clocked83
Summary: Sanji finds himself baking a cake with his captain at twelve am. He's not upset about it in the slightest.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111





	1. Midnight Snacks

During the nights aboard the Thousand Sunny, things were usually quiet. That isn’t to say there was nothing going on, though. Each crew member had their nights where they needed to take their mind off of something yet couldn’t sleep. 

If there was the sound of labored breathing and occasionally thumps above in the crow’s nest, it was sure to be Zoro training. A soft tune from the back of the boat made by Brook. The faint sound of clanking metals and wood from the workrooms could be either Franky or Usopp tinkering away. The running water of a cold shower from Nami, the delicate sound of a book page turned being Robin, and the clatter of hooves clip-clopping on the deck as to stargaze- courtesy of Chopper. Luffy… well, Luffy was a wild card.

Sometimes he’d swing around the deck as quietly a monkey like him can, at other times his sandals would flop along the floor as he admired the aquarium fish. Occasionally he’d just invite himself into one of his crewmates' hammocks; not a word exchanged, only the sound of the rocking bedding giving him away. 

Whenever the crew ran into one another awake during god awful hours, it was a silent rule to let the other continue as they please without question. They trust one another enough to not ask about their nightly actions. It was a form of respect in a way. 

Despite that, Sanji is just unable to feel annoyed with his captain lingering around as he does his midnight getaway. Sanji himself prefers to do simple chores whenever he needs to take his mind off something: like doing the crews stacked up laundry, re-organizing, and stuff of the like. However, during particularly hard nights he’d bake.

Tonight he was baking a cake. Multi-layered.

Luffy had joined him early on in the process, right as he was just getting the ingredients out and disinfecting the workplace. He didn’t say anything at first, just watching Sanji going through the motions. When he began to mix the dry ingredients, he heard Luffy’s sandals hit the floor; assumedly getting up to leave. However, when he felt the captain’s chin plop onto his right shoulder, Sanji couldn’t help but startle. Luffy’s nose huffed out an amused sound, his cheeky smile accompanying it, but said nothing. 

Currently Sanji held two eggs in each of his hands, cracking them simultaneously in a swift motion, the yolk falling into the wet-ingredients bowl with a satisfying plop. Luffy’s warmth against his back and shoulder had resided in the back of his mind as he began to stir the mixture. “What’chya making Sanji?” 

As he whisked away, his eyes glanced up to see Luffy leaning over his shoulder, staring at him expectantly. “Just a cinnamon cake. Nothing much.” He laughs at this, grinning widely. Sanji thinks he’ll have to start squinting whenever his captain does that, it’s too damn bright. “Whenever you say that, it always tastes awesome! Can I have some?” 

Sanji huffs out a chuckle, shrugging. “Sure. It’ll take a while though, so don’t ask me every five minutes.” Luffy groans at that, slinking over him depressingly. He stays like that for a little bit; however, as Sanji finishes combining all the ingredients, he perks up. “It’ll be ready faster if we work at the same time! Let me help!!” Sanji simply rolls his eyes, causing Luffy to pout. 

“You’d make the wait even longer by messing it up or eating the batter! Anyways, I already finished the main mixture- all that’s left is to bake it and make is the icing. You sure you wanna help?” “Heheh, yeah! This will be the best icing ever.” Despite that statement being a load of hot air- as Luffy has little to no baking experience- Sanji feels himself smile softly. He reaches into his suit pocket, taking out a cigarette for a quick smoke. “Hell yeah it will.”

  
  


-

After placing three round cake pans into the oven, the two had gotten the various supplies needed for icing out. Luffy sat excitedly at the table, kicking his feet back and forth as he waited for Sanji to finish reading the recipe book. He instantly perked up when Sanji handed him a couple sticks of butter.

“Alright. Luffy, put the butter into the big bowl and mix it until fluffy. … Oi! Calm down or it’ll fly out of the bowl!” Sanji grabbed Luffy’s arm, which wobbled slightly due to just how quick the boy was stirring, and directed him to a steadier pace. While Luffy seemed annoyed by this slower speed, he did as Sanji directed.

As the captain did so, Sanji steadily incorporated the confectioner’s sugar until the two fully mixed. “Okay, so now we just need to add around two tablespoons of vanilla extract..” “Yeah, yeah- got it-” “ _TEASPOONS!!_ NOT CUPS! Vanilla extract is expensive, you idiot!!” Sanji snatched away the cup container Luffy was holding and replaced it with a teaspoon one instead. Luffy rolls his eyes. “Pfft, same thing.” This man was going to be the death of him.

“Okay, now just beat it in gradually like you did earlier. I’m gonna add in the milk so be gentle.” Despite his warning, Luffy seemed to not change his style much at all. Sanji expected as much, but it was worth a shot. As he steadily poured in the liquid, he was pleased to find that only a few drops had escaped from their bowl. Better than what he was expecting to be honest.

After telling Luffy to stop stirring, Sanji grabbed the bowl from him and inspected the icing. While it wasn’t as pristine as what he’s used to making, it should work. Setting the bowl back down, he turned to Luffy with a satisfied grin. “You didn’t ruin it like I thought you would, good job.” He cackles at this, closing his eyes and giving Sanji a toothy smile. “Of course I didn’t! I had the world’s greatest cook helping me!!” Feeling his face heat, Sanji stares at the other for a moment, dumbfounded. Despite knowing he is definitely a great baker, compliments like those still hit deep. Especially from Luffy.

Sanji forces himself to look back at the Icing.

“Well captain, what color are you thinking?” “Oooh! Hm… hm……” Clearly thinking too hard about this, Luffy brings his hand to his chin- cupping it in a thoughtful pose. Sanji finds it to be stupidly endearing. “... Orange!” “Aye aye.”

Luffy sits down at the table and watches Sanji as he goes to retrieve a few smaller bowls. He separates the icing the two of them made evenly into each one; though, he left about half of the icing in the original bowl. Then the cook started adding color to each one. Each bowl had a different shade of orange, and Luffy’s mouth made an O shape as he did so. 

“Wooah… I didn’t think of making different shades of orange.” Sanji rolls his eyes at that, finishing up the coloring and setting the bowls aside. “Duh, presentation matters just as much as the taste dumbass. I’m not doing a plain-colored cake and nothing else; what would Nami-chwan say if she saw such a sad looking desert tomorrow!” Luffy laughs at that, watching Sanji go limp as jelly as he thought about their navigator.

The beep of the oven pops Sanji out of his blissful state, instantly pulling him to attention. “Oi Luffy, grab the cake stand while I’m taking this out- it’s on top of the fridge.” “‘Kay.” The two of them went to action, Luffy stretching his arms out to bring the stand over to their table and Sanji bringing over the warm cakes. Finishing at the same time, Sanji places the first out of the three cakes atop the stand. 

“Wooow, it smells so good!! Can’t we just eat it now?” “Hell no! Just help me decorate it and you’ll get to eat it sooner.” Luffy pouts but refrains from taking a bite. Sanji grabs one of the darker-colored orange icings and slathers it atop the plain cake, then adds the second on top. He does the same for that one, except with a lighter shade of icing- then follows suit with the third.

“This should make the cake look like a gradient as you bite, and it’ll make it a good mix of icing and cake.” Luffy is practically salivating, his tongue sticking out as he stares at the cake, tuning out Sanji’s explanation. “Uh huh uh huh… are you done yet?” A smack to the back of his head wakes the idiot up. “I’ve got to cover the cake then add some details first- then yes- I’ll be done.” “Awesome!!”

Sanji then grabs the larger bowl of orange icing, placing it in front of the cake with a troubled look. One should usually wait at least ten to fifteen minutes for the cake to cool before adding the outer-layer icing but… Taking a glance at Luffy’s excited expression melts Sanji’s professional attitude immediately. He’ll make an exception, just this once. 

Sanji applies the orange icing as best he can, only pulling a few of the cake pieces off during the process; definitely more than he wanted ( _which was none_ ), but that’s fine. After smoothing out the main color, he begins to add the details. Luffy watches in awe.

Sanji starts off with the darker-colored orange border on both the top and bottom of the cake. In Between those borders on the sides he makes a simple floral pattern all around it. Finally, on the top of the cake, Sanji makes a simplistic flower out of two different lighter shades of orange. Not as complex as usual, but it’ll do.

“Sorry it’s not the best. I’m pretty exhausted Lu-” “WOAHH! I spaced out for a minute and you’re already done!? Sanji, you’re so cool!” Luffy hopped up from his seat, shaking Sanji by the shoulders just a bit. Before the cook could really process his captain’s excitement, the boy had already let him go and began to dig into the cake. “Oi!! Only one slice right now, it’s nearly two in the morning!” Luffy nods as he eats away, clearly not going to listen to Sanji’s yell. Sanji doesn’t mind that as much as he usually does. 

Finally sitting down- had he been standing this whole time?- Sanji rests his cheek on the cool countertop as Luffy eats. He sat across from him, being able to watch his captain eat nearly half of it before showing mercy for the rest of his crew. Luffy lets out a satisfied breath, a big smile resting on his lips. “Ah, soooo good. Thanks Sanji!” “Mhm.”

Luffy watches Sanji silently now, an unreadable expression on his face. Well, maybe it was readable, but Sanji was too tired to analyze the pirate now. Luffy extends his hand across the table, ruffling Sanji’s hair with a soft look in his eye. “Glad you’re finally tired Sanji, thought you’d be up for the rest of the night!” Sanji lets out a hum at that, becoming aware that he closed his eyes when Luffy started messing with his hair. While he’d usually shake off a condescending gesture like this, it felt too comforting to let go now.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, until Sanji finally lifted his head, causing Luffy to move his stretched-out hand. He glanced away from the other's questioning eyes before speaking, cheeks tinged slightly pink. “Uh, thanks. For staying with me while I was awake, I mean. I’m not used to it but it was nice.” Luffy smiles at that, grabbing Sanji’s hand. The blonde felt warm all over. “You made me a snack and _you’re_ thanking _me_? So weird, nishishi.” 

While holding his hand, Luffy pulls Sanji up from the table and begins to lead him out of the kitchen. Stumbling just a bit, Sanji keeps up with him as they eventually make it to the men’s quarters. Sanji yawns but turns back to the door. “I need to wrap the cake first or it’ll get stale-” “It’ll be fine for a few hours! Cmon Sanji lets just go to sleep, okay?” Sanji purses his lips but nods, resulting in another one of Luffy’s warm smiles. Perhaps a stale cake is worth it if he can see those smiles.

Luffy pulls Sanji over to his hammock and throws them over into it, rocking the bed back and forth. Despite that, Luffy is already out cold by the time his head hits the pillow. Sanji watches him for a moment, then closes his own eyes. He wraps his arms around the other, resting his forehead against his friend’s back.

Silently he hopes that this wouldn’t be a one-time thing.

  
  



	2. Illustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a lazy art piece of the last scene! It's kinda messy but I'm sure some people would like it, lmao.

Here's the art! Pretty messy but I like how it came out.

**Author's Note:**

> Just felt like practicing some writing a little bit AND I was in a LuSan mood, so I made this in a few hours! I apologize if either of the two seem out of character; I'm very new to writing them!
> 
> Also, if you can't tell, I stress bake whenever I get overwhelmed. However, I'm definitely nowhere near as good as Sanji is


End file.
